Following Carnival Corporation's acquisition of Holland America in 1988, HAL ordered three modern cruise ships. Referred to as the Statendam or S-class after the lead ship in the class (See Statendam profile), these ships were state-of-the-art and were the first step in revitalizing HAL's fleet. Maasdam was the second S class ships to be built followed by Ryndam. A fourth S-class ship was built later (See Veendam profile). Although the S-class ships were considered large when they were built, by today's standards, they are relatively small. However, that is just the way passengers on these ships like it. Maasdam and her sisters have an intimate, almost cozy atmosphere yet they have the features that one would expect to find on a modern cruise ship. HAL has followed a practice of continually upgrading Maasdam and her sisters so that passengers who have traveled on other HAL ships will find the same features when they travel on the S class ships as on the larger HAL ships. For example, a Pinnacle Grill specialty restaurant was added and the Greenhouse Spa has been upgraded. Of course, since the S-class ships are smaller, these features are not as large or extensive as on the bigger ships. There is no glitz or shock and awe to Maasdam. The interior is contemporary but refined. Displays of Delft ware and Dutch paintings mix with displays of fresh flowers and comfortable, nicely upholstered furniture. The public areas are not over-crowded. Passengers on Maasdam are mostly North Americans. The typical passenger is sophisticated and well-educated. They make extensive use of the ship's combination library and Internet center. In the dining room, they expect good service, not entertainment. Maasdam passengers also tend to be older than passengers on HAL's larger Vista class ships. Although HAL encourages families to travel and has facilities for children and teens on Maasdam, on most cruises there are relatively few children with most accompanying grandparents or traveling as part of multi-generational families. With some exceptions, Maasdam tends to do longer cruises of 14 days or more. After spending the early part of 2009 in the Caribbean, Maasdam will do cruises to Canada and New England from Boston. She will also do a 42 day voyage across the Atlantic and back stopping in places such as Greenland, Iceland, the British Isles and The Netherlands. In the winter, she will do a series of cruises into the Panama Canal and to ports in Central and South America.

Luciano Visttosi's Totem contains 2,000 pieces of glass and is the centerpiece of Maasdam's three-story atrium.

Fresh-cut flower displays are an HAL hallmark.

The hallways and public spaces on Maasdam are full of works of art.

The Front Office, located in the atrium, is the ship's reception desk.

Above: The Shore Excursions desk is located next to the Front Office.Right: The Future Cruise Office is near the Explorations Cafe.

Maasdam has an extensive and varied art collection, which cost appromimately $2 million. It is intended to pay hommage to the Dutch East and West India companies of the 17th through 19th centuries. Accordingtly, there are Asian ceramics and ship artifacts from the Age of Sail. However, the collection is not bounded by the central theme. There are a series of painting of former HAL ships by Captain Stephen Card, as well as examples of African art.